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National Prescription Drug Take Back Day Is Saturday, With Thousands of Drop-Off Sites Nationwide

The event aims to keep unneeded medications out of homes through safe disposal.

Prescription drug return boxes, like these at all Johns Hopkins pharmacies, allow anyone to safely dispose of old or unneeded medications without them falling into the wrong hands or contaminating the environment. (Courtesy of Johns Hopkins Health System)
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Overview

  • The DEA and law enforcement partners will host free, anonymous medication drop-offs on Saturday, Oct. 25, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. local time at thousands of locations across the U.S.
  • Sites accept pills, tablets, patches and other solid forms, with liquids kept sealed in original containers; syringes, sharps and illicit drugs are not accepted, and some locations take vape devices without batteries.
  • The program collected more than 620,000 pounds at 4,590 sites in April and has removed about 19.8 million pounds since 2010, according to federal data.
  • States and localities are publicizing participation, including Wisconsin, which reported over 56,000 pounds collected in the spring, Indiana State Police posts hosting collections (with Lafayette and Putnamville offering Friday hours), and sites in Hawaii, New Mexico and tribal communities in Montana.
  • Year-round disposal is available at more than 13,000 pharmacies, hospitals, police departments and businesses, and Pennsylvania officials are also encouraging residents to pick up naloxone as part of broader overdose prevention efforts.